BERWYN, Pa., Nov. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- NaBITA, the National Behavioral Intervention Team Association, announces the appointment of its new executive director, Brian Van Brunt, Ed.D. NaBITA is a membership association serving more than 1,500 professionals in schools, colleges and workplaces whose role is to support individuals in need of mental health intervention and to minimize the potential for school and workplace violence. www.nabita.org

Brett A. Sokolow, who founded NaBITA and has served as its executive director since 2009, is transitioning to emeritus status, and remains on the association's Advisory Board. Sokolow discussed the appointment of Brian Van Brunt, who serves as the organization's current president. "I am leaving the ED role with the association at its strongest point since we created it. Membership is at its highest historic level, the annual conference is bigger this year than ever, and our Threat Management and BIT Certification Trainings continue to sell out. The key is knowing when to step aside and make room for new ideas, new energy, and the association's next phase of evolution. Dr. Van Brunt is the perfect person for this role. He has been an able president for the association, and rather than lose his talents when his term is up, we decided to make permanent use of Brian's talents as the next Executive Director."

The transition will officially occur at the Seventh Annual NaBITA Conference, taking place Nov. 17–21 in San Antonio, as Van Brunt's term as president concludes.

Van Brunt commented, "I am excited to step into this role. I think my skill set will help the association to continue to grow, but more importantly, will enhance our ability to provide top-notch professional development opportunities along with best practices and cutting edge tools to the field as a whole."

Van Brunt, who also serves as the senior executive vice president for professional program development at The NCHERM Group, has distinguished himself as a leading expert on issues related to campus violence, mental health, and behavioral intervention. He has presented at conferences around the world, and is often called upon by major media outlets, including National Public Radio,USA Today, and The New York Times. He also consults at colleges and universities across the country, providing strategic direction to administrators and training countless faculty and staff. His online seminars and classes alone have reached well over 150,000 higher education professionals.

Van Brunt formulated the "Structured Interview for Violence Risk Assessment," or "SIVRA-35," and the newly released "Violence Risk Assessment of Written Word," or "VRAW2," which serve as two important tools for conducting standardized and research-based risk assessments in the campus setting. He also recently developed a training curriculum to prepare counseling, case management, and Behavioral Intervention Team members to effectively intervene and manage at-risk students once a level of risk has been assessed.

About NaBITANaBITA is an independent, not-for-profit association that brings together professionals from multiple disciplines to combat bullying, prevent violence, support individuals with disabilities, and empower the success of those suffering from mental health challenges.

Contact: Michelle IssadoreVice President for Operations and Public Information The NCHERM Group, LLC.Phone: (610) 993-0229Email: Email